Days With Godfather Sev
by Scarlynn Snape
Summary: Sequel to A Day with Harry and Draco. A series of stories portraying the lives of Harry, Draco, and Severus as they become a family. AU OOCSeverus. Kidfic
1. Things to Know Before Reading

**Here's the long awaited sequel to A Day with Harry and Draco. Here's somethings to know before reading:**

**1. This is a sequel story. I would recommend reading the three stories (Orphan Day: Draco's Tale, Orphan Day: Harry's Tale, and A Day with Harry and Draco) before this to understand what is going on. I guess one wouldn't have to, but they explain why Harry and Draco live with Severus.**

**2. Eileen Snape, Severus's mother, does live at Hogwarts. Dumbledore convinced her to leave Tobias shortly before Severus adopted Harry. She watches and teaches the boys during the day.**

**3. Draco and Harry are about five/six in this story.**

**4. These tales will not go in any particular order. They'll just go with whatever ideas pop up in my head.**

**5. If there's an idea anyone wishes for me to write about, let me know. I'm more than happy to roll with your ideas as well as my own.**

**6. I also ask that you review as much as possible. It helps me as a writer, gives me ideas, and puts a smile on my face(most of the time) :)**


	2. Playing With Trains

**1. Playing with Trains**

Draco was spending the day at the Zabini's. Even though Draco had been living with Severus for close to ten months now, he still spent a lot of time with the pureblood families that Lucius and Narcissa used to associate with. This was Draco's third play date this month. Severus felt bad, but Harry never attended any of these. One reason was that Severus didn't trust the boy with old death eater families, and, two, Severus truly didn't think the boy was ready to interact with other children yet. Harry had been living with him for close to four months, and, even though the boy had gotten used to the situation, there was still many things that made him uncomfortable. It wasn't that Severus kept the boy sheltered; Harry had been to the Weasley's house several times to play. The problem was the fact these play dates were with Draco's friends, and Severus didn't want Harry to relate Draco's friends to his bullying cousin's.

So, on days like today, the quarters were usually quite quiet. Harry didn't make much noise while he played, so this allowed Severus to work on school work or other such work. He did enjoy doing things with Harry, but the boy was usually quite content just playing by himself. The first time Draco went to play without Harry, Severus feared that Harry would have some kind of breakdown or throw a tantrum. Harry surprised him, though. He had merely given Draco a small wave and smile goodbye, and he played quietly the rest of the day. Severus figured that the boy enjoyed just being able to play, whether it be by himself or with others, because he had been denied for so long.

Now, Severus was reading one of his potions journals while Harry sat a few feet away playing with a train set. Harry had been quietly playing for about a half hour before he broke the silence. "Sev'vus, is Gramma Eileen coming over today?"

Severus set his journal down and stared at the green eyed boy who never looked up from his trains. "No, Harry. Gramma is busy today. It's Saturday, so she doesn't need to come over."

"Okay." Was Harry's answer and Severus went back to reading his magazine. His mother had moved to Hogwarts about a week after Harry had come to live with him. They had finally convinced her to leave Severus's horrible father, and she stayed with the boys everyday while Severus was teaching. She was not only their caretaker, but she was also their teacher. Harry would often ask him on the weekends if she would be coming over or not. She usually did, but Severus had asked her not to today, so he could spend the entire day with Harry.

"Sev'vus?"

"Yes, Harry?" Severus asked never looking up from his journal.

"Does magic power trains?"

Severus marked his place and set the journal on the side table with his reading glasses on top of it. "Some are, but most trains are not powered by magic."

"Well, which ones are powered by magic?" Harry asked turning his attention away from his toy trains.

"Well, the only one that I know of is the Hogwarts Express. The rest are powered by muggle means." Severus explained.

"Well, um, how are muggle trains runned?" Harry asked, grabbing ahold of his stuffed duck, Bill.

"Some are powered by coal, which is kind of like a rock, and some are powered by electricity," Severus explained.

Harry shuffled around on the floor before asking, "You've rode a train before right?"

Severus smirked while he nodded. "Harry, I was a student here, so I rode the train several times."

Harry's eyes grew wide with that knowledge. "Is it fun?"

"Yes, Harry. It was fun to ride the train," Severus told him.

"When…I mean…could I…could I ride the train?" Harry asked nervously. Harry was still nervous to ask for things, but he was much better than before.

"When you turn eleven, you and Draco shall both get to ride the train." Severus told the boy, but he frowned when he noticed the boy's look of disappointment.

"I have to wait a long time. That's really long, Sev'vus." Harry gloomily told the man.

Severus gave the boy a sympathetic look, but he was trying not to laugh at the situation. "Well, maybe Albus will give us permission before then. We shall have to ask him."

Harry perked up at that news. "Really? I wanna ride the train!" Harry exclaimed happily, but he suddenly looked fearful. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't ask for things like that!"

Severus sighed and mentally cursed the Dursleys. "Harry, you do not need to apologize for asking for something. I told you before, if you ask for something, and it is within reason, you will most likely get it. Now, tell me about these trains that you're playing with." Severus said, trying to change the topic.

Harry turned his attention back to his trains and studied them. Severus used the time Harry spent studying his trains to move from his chair to sit next to Harry on the floor. Severus noticed that the boy handled the toys with the upmost care, and the sight brought a smile to Severus's face. He knew that this behavior was most likely a result of his life with the Dursleys, but it reminded him so much of Lily. Harry pulled Severus out of his musings by holding up a small blue train in one hand and a slightly large green one in the other. He handed the green one to Severus. "That one is Draco's favorite, but you can play with it. My favorite is the blue one."

"I see. Well, would Draco mind if I played with this," Severus asked as he held the train delicately in his hand.

Harry shook his head as he placed his own train on the wooden track. "Draco won't mind. He shares his toys with me."

Harry said nothing more on the matter, and Severus decided not to push it. He placed his own train on the tracks and waited for Harry to make the first move. Harry started to push the train around on the track for a while, then looked up at Severus and said, "Sev'vus, you can push your train around the track, too. It's fun."

"Alright," Severus answered as he began to push his train around the track that Harry had constructed. They were both quiet at first, but, soon, they were both laughing. After playing for some time, Harry appeared to be getting tired and stopped pushing the train around. Severus also stopped and looked at the young boy. He was about to say something when Harry surprised him by leaning up against him. Severus pulled the boy close and gently stroked his messy hair. "Are you tired, Harry?"

Harry nodded and rubbed his eyes with one of his fists. "Can you read me a story?"

Severus placed a kiss on top of Harry's head and rose with Harry in his arms. "Which book should we read, Harry?"

Harry shrugged. "Can we read one about trains?"

Severus chuckled as they made their way to Harry's room. "Of course we can."


	3. Let's Have Some Ice Cream

**2. Let's Have Some Ice Cream**

"Honestly, Severus. They have behaved all day. The least you can do is treat them to some ice cream," Eileen Snape chastised her son as they walked down the streets of Diagon Alley. Severus had needed some potion ingredients and both Harry and Draco had needed some warmer clothes for the fast approaching winter. The group had separated momentarily; Severus had gone alone to the apothecary while Eileen had taken the two boys to get started on getting some clothing. When Severus had arrived, Draco was done being fitted and Harry was just finishing up. They had gotten everything they needed for the two boys who caused very little fuss. They had even made a quick stop at the bookshop on the way home where each child had picked out a new book. Now, as they headed home, Draco had seen the ice cream shop and had asked if they could stop. Severus didn't want to stop, mostly because he didn't want to deal with sugar high children, but his mother was insistent. Of course she would be, she didn't have to deal with them when they got home.

"Mother, the answer is no. We have to get back to the castle." Severus told her in a slightly irritated tone.

"Honestly, Severus. Your favorite part about our outings together was the ice cream that I would get you at the end. You remember, don't you?"

Oh, Severus remembered quite clearly. Every Sunday, after they got home from church and Severus's father went home to drink, Eileen would take her son grocery shopping. They had very little money back then, but she always made sure he had a scoop of chocolate ice cream as a treat. "I remember, but I just bought them clothes and each got a book. I think we can consider that enough of a treat."

"Please, Uncle Severus. Harry really wants to try some. Please, please." Draco begged. Severus looked down at the small blonde boy holding his hand.

"Only Harry wants some?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow. "I believe his young blonde companion is more interested than he is."

Draco gave him a shy look. "Well…um…ok. Harry never said anything, but I really want some. Please?"

Severus looked over at Harry who was tightly holding on to Eileen's hand. The small boy was still getting used to being in large crowds, which was one of the reasons Severus wanted to get home. However, he did notice the longing look in Harry's eyes. "Harry?" Harry's green eyes snapped up to look at Severus. "Would you like some ice cream?"

Harry's eyes grew wide. Severus wasn't sure if it was in fear or something else. "Why are you asking me?"

"Because Draco would like some, but I would like to know what you would like to do. If you don't want any, then we shall leave," Severus told the small boy.

Harry looked down and scrapping the toe of one of his shoes on the stone streets. "I've never had ice cream before."

Eileen looked down at the boy before looking up at her son again. "Well, we'll just have to fix that then, won't we?" Eileen gently squeezed Harry's hand before leading him over to the ice cream shop with Severus and Draco following them.

By the time they reached the small shop, Draco was bouncing up and down and asking Severus if he could have chocolate ice cream with whipped cream and sprinkles. Severus walked up to the counter and ordered the ice cream for Draco, a sundae for himself, and strawberry for his mother before turning his attention to Harry. "What would you like to try, Harry?"

Harry shrugged. "I dunno. I don't know what's good." He looked up at Eileen. "What should I get, Gramma?"

"Well, seeing as it's your first time, I would say that you should get vanilla," she told him with a smile. "Now comes the most important part, Harry. Would you like it in a dish or cone?"

"Um, I would like to try it with a cone, please," Harry told them timidly.

Eileen gave him a large smile and Severus nodded and gave the man Harry's order. When their ice cream arrived, the small group made their way over to a small table. Draco quickly climbed up into a chair and dug into his frozen treat. Severus and Eileen both sat down and began to eat theirs at a much slower pace. Harry just stood there uncertainly holding his cone. Eileen looked down at the boy. "Harry, what's the matter?"

"Um, well, um," Harry stuttered but didn't say anything else.

Eileen brushed a piece of Harry's hair away. "What do you want, Harry? You know you can always ask us questions."

Green eyes looked up at her hopefully. "Can I sit on your lap, Gramma?"

Eileen smiled and picked the small boy up and setting him on her lap. Harry ate his ice cream happily while Severus and Eileen exchanged a look. They decided they had won a small victory with Harry today.


	4. Dealing With Tantrums

**3. Dealing With Tantrums**

Severus set his copy of the _Daily Prophet _down and turned his attention towards the two boys who were playing in the living room. Draco was making a large tower with the building blocks, and Harry was playing with his trains, happily making train noises as he pushed them around the small track. He looked towards the clock and realized his mother would be there in fifteen minutes to start daily lessons with the boys, and he himself had to go teach. He cleared his throat, and both boys looked up. "Harry, Draco, it's time to clean up and get your supplies out. Your Grandmother will be here in a few minutes, and I want you ready for her before I leave."

Harry looked sadly at the trains. "Can I play with them later, Sev'vus?"

"Of course, Harry. You know that after your morning lessons you can play again," Severus explained to the boy. They had this discussion almost every morning because Harry was worried that he would never get to play with the toys again if he had to put them away.

Harry gave Severus a huge smile and went about putting the trains in their basket and pushing the track up against the wall. Severus turned his attention to Draco and frowned when he noticed that the boy wasn't doing what he had told him to do. "Draco, I thought I asked you to clean up your toys."

Draco shrugged. "I didn't wanna. I wanna play still."

"I realize that, but it's time to pick up." Severus calmly explained even though he felt a headache threating to come on. "Gramma Eileen will be here soon for your morning lesson."

Draco humphed. "I don't wanna learn today. I wanna play with my blocks."

"Mr. Malfoy, I suggest you put those blocks away right now, or you will be in big trouble," Severus growled feeling his anger rising at the child's defiance.

Harry, who could spot an angry person a mile away, crawled over to where Draco was playing. "I'll help you clean up, Draco. You don't want Sev'vus mad at you. He said we can play later."

Harry went to pick a couple of the blocks up, but Draco pushed him, causing him to fall on his back. "No! Don't wanna pick up! I wanna play!"

Severus watched as Harry moved as far away from Draco as he could, and Severus got up and angrily made his way over to where Draco was. He stood the boy up and gave his bum a firm swat. "Draco Lucius Malfoy, you do not push people." Draco moved to protect his bum, but Severus stopped him. "Draco, you have been very naughty this morning. I asked you to pick up your toys, and you didn't. You also threw a tantrum, and you pushed Harry when he was only trying to help you."

Draco angrily crossed his arms and he had tears running down his face. "You were being a meanie! I wanted to play with my blocks!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Severus noticed Harry cover his ears when Draco shouted. He wished he could comfort Harry, but he needed to deal with Draco now. "I know you wanted to play, but it was time to be done for right now. Gramma Eileen will be here soon, and you know you have lessons in the morning. You would have been able to play after lunch."

"I didn't wanna destroy my tower. You were gonna make me take it down." Draco angrily accused his godfather.

"You could have just told me that, and I would have let you leave it. Instead, you decided to throw a tantrum." Severus told him. "You have been very naughty this morning. I think you need to go sit in the corner for five minutes and think about what you've done."

Upon hearing that he would have to go sit in the corner, Draco threw himself on the ground and began to scream. He had no desire to go and sit in the corner. Severus mentally groaned, but he picked the boy up and placed him on the corner chair. He had decided early on that he would dub a certain corner the "in trouble corner." He had placed a small chair in the corner, and both boys knew that if they had to sit in the corner chair, they were in big trouble. Draco refused to sit on the chair, and he flopped down on the ground and continued screaming. Severus didn't have time to deal with this, but he knew that the boys came before anything else. Besides, he didn't think his first class would be too bothered if they started a few minutes late. He picked the boy up and set him back on the chair. Draco got up from the seat again, but Severus put him right back. After Draco tried to get up a third time, Severus delivered a firm swat. "Enough, Draco." They boy sat down and stayed this time, but he continued to cry silently. Severus stood. "Five minutes, Draco." He set the magical timer and walked away to see how Harry was doing.

To his surprise, he saw his mother standing there with Harry in her arms with his head on her shoulder. "He was quite frightened when I arrived. He doesn't like it when you're angry. He doesn't like it when either one of you are angry."

"Draco pushed me. Don't like it when people push me," Harry mumbled from where his head lay on Eileen's shoulder.

Severus stepped forward and ran a hand through Harry's messy black hair. "It wasn't very nice of him to do that, was it?"

Harry shook his head. "He was mean. I was just trying to help."

"I know you were, Harry. He was just a little cranky this morning." Severus tried to explain to him.

"You were cranky, too, Sev'vus. Sev'vus, you were very mad at Draco." Harry told the man, and Eileen placed a kiss on his forehead.

Severus looked sadly at the boy. "I didn't mean to be mean, Harry, but I have to be a little stern when you both misbehave."

"I know, but I don't like it," Harry told him with sad green eyes.

"I know, Harry, but while I may be stern, I will never hurt either one of you. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded, and Severus noticed the timer was finished. He made his way over to Draco, and the boy hugged him and apologized. Severus hugged him back, told him all was forgiven, and left the boys in the capable hands of his mother as he rushed off to teach his class.

He returned around four fairly exhausted from his day at work. However, he played with the boys and made supper. After supper, he read with both boys. He read with Draco first, and he then read with Harry while Draco played quietly in his bedroom. Usually the two boys loved to read, but Harry was having a rough time of it tonight.

"The c-c-caaa-t, the cat r-r-r-an wit-t—"

"With."

"With. The cat ran with t-t-th-th—"

"The, Harry. Sound it out."

Severus could see the boy was growing more and more frustrated. "With the b-b-at. The cat was h-h-h-a-a-p—"

"Happy."

"Happy to—" Harry tried to sound the next word out, but, instead, he angrily pushed the book away. "Don't wanna read this anymore. It's too hard."

Severus sighed, but he opened the book again. "It's not too hard, Harry. You're doing well. Just keep sounding the words out."

Harry tried to read again, but he angrily pushed it away again. "It's too hard. No more!"

"Harry, it's not too hard. I know you can do it. Try again." He tried to open the book again, but Harry snatched it from his grip and angrily threw it on the ground.

"No more reading! It's too hard!" Harry angrily exclaimed.

Severus sighed but remained calm. "Harry Potter, pick that book up right now and drop the attitude or you will be one sorry little boy." Severus couldn't believe the boy was throwing a tantrum right now after what Draco had done that morning. However, maybe this was Harry's way of testing his boundaries; this was the first major tantrum he had thrown since he had come to live with Severus. He would throw little fits, but he usually corrected his behavior when he saw it upset his guardian.

"No, don't wanna read! It's too hard!" Harry shouted at the man. Severus sighed. He really didn't want to punish Harry, but he needed to be treated the same as Draco. He picked the boy up and brought him over to the corner chair. He set him on it, and to his relief, Harry stayed there. "Mr. Potter, we do not throw tantrums when something is frustrating us. We work through it and use our words. What you did was unacceptable, and I am very disappointed in you. You shall sit here for five minutes and think about what you have done." Severus set the timer and walked away.

Severus made his way over to the couch and sat down again. He was glad Draco was playing in his room and not out here. He couldn't believe that both boys had thrown a tantrum in the same day. Severus knew that he was going to get gray hairs raising these two boys. The timer went off, and Severus heard Harry sniffling in the corner. "Harry, would you come over here?" Severus gently called.

Harry got up from the chair and practically sprinted over to the man. Severus caught the boy and lifted him up onto his lap; Harry wrapped his arms tightly around Severus's neck. "Sorry, Sev'vus! Me sorry! Don't be dis-dis-dispointed in me." Harry sobbed into his shoulder.

Severus rubbed circles on the boy's back; the boy reminded him so much of Lily. "I'm disappointed with you anymore. You have been punished and now all is forgiven." Harry nodded and the two sat together contently for several minutes. Finally, Severus spoke again. "Should we try and read again? I'll help you."

Harry nodded and picked the book up again.


	5. To Build a Fort

**I've gotten a great response on this story, so I decided to give you all another chapter sooner than I planned. Here it is!**

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4. To Build a Fort

"Alright, boys, if you two are finished with your lunch, put your plates by the sink then go play," Eileen Snape told the two boys sitting in front of her. Draco quickly scrambled off of his chair while Harry took his time to get down. Draco set his plate by the sink and ran off to his room, while Harry set his plate down and looked up at his grandmother.

"Gramma, do you need help wif the dishes?"

Eileen ruffled Harry's messy black hair as she walked by him. "No, Harry, but thank you for asking. Go and play with Draco."

Harry nodded and gave her a smile before running off to his god brother's room.

Draco looked up when Harry entered his room. "Hey, Harry. What do you want to play?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. We could play with the blocks or play with our cars."

Draco shook his head. "We play with those all the time. We should do something different."

"Well, do you wanna color? Sev'vus bought us new crayons. They smell good." Severus had bought the boys scented crayons when had been in Diagon Alley last weekend, and Harry loved them.

Draco rose and shook his head. "I don't wanna draw, but I got an idea! We could build a fort!"

Harry gave the blonde boy a questioning look. "What's that?"

"A fort's like a little house you make out of blankets and pillows and the furniture. Daddy used to make them with me at our Manor," Draco explained. "They're really fun. Wanna build one?"

Harry still wasn't completely sure what a fort was, but he decided that he really wanted to build one with Draco. He nodded. "Let's do it."

"We'll ask Gramma if we can build it in the living room. That way, Uncle Sev can see it when he comes back from class right away." Draco ran out to the kitchen where Eileen was finishing cleaning up lunch. "Gramma, can Harry and I build a fort in the living room?"

Eileen gave the boy a curious look. "Why do you want to build a fort, Draco?"

"Because they're fun to make and Harry's never made one before," Draco explained to the woman as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Eileen's face softened when she heard Harry had never had the pleasure of making a fort. Eileen herself used to make them with Severus when Tobias was gone. They would dub the small forts their safe place where they could be safe from the outside world. She looked over at Harry who had joined them. "You've never made a fort, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't think Dudley ever made one either."

Eileen decided not to comment on Harry's statement. "Well, then I say we make a fort in the living room. Go get several blankets, boys, I'll come and help you as soon as I'm finished."

Both faces lit up. "You're gonna help us?" Draco asked excitedly.

Eileen nodded. "Of course. I used to build them with your Uncle Severus when he was a kid. I think I still remember how to build them." She grabbed another plate to dry. "Go get those blankets now."

Both boys nodded and scurried off to raid the linens closet. They took blanket upon blanket off the shelves and brought them into the living room. Eileen watched amused as they cleared out the closet. "Boys, I don't know if we need all of those."

Draco shook his head. "Gramma, we have to make different rooms in the fort. We all need our own room. If we have enough, Uncle Sev needs a room, too."

Eileen nodded. "I see. Well, we need to move some of this furniture around. We'll have to bring in the kitchens chairs, and I think we'll even use Severus's desk chair."

Both boys gasped at the mention of Severus's desk chair. "But, Gramma," Harry said, "Sev'vus doesn't like it when we go by his desk. He's a gonna be mad if we take his chair."

"Oh, Harry, he won't be mad when he sees that we put it to good use," Eileen explained as she pulled out her wand. With a flick, several chairs, including the black straight backed office chair, came dancing into the living room. The two boys smiled and the work began.

It took almost an hour before their fort was finished, but it was perfect. There were different "rooms" that all connected to each other. Draco thought the fort was awesome, but Eileen could tell that Harry enjoyed the finished product even more. They spent the rest of the afternoon inside that fort. Eileen produced a small floating ball of light, and the three of them took turns reading stories. At about three, they heard the door to their quarters open. It was a Friday, so Severus was done with his classes early.

"Would someone care to explain to me why all of the blankets from the closest are hanging from chairs in the living room? After that, would someone tell me where my two godsons are? I can't seem to find them."

Severus heard giggling from inside the structure, then Harry and Draco popped their heads out. "Come inside, Uncle Sev. Gramma's in here, too." Draco told him before he disappeared back inside.

Harry nodded. "Come and see, Sev'vus."

Severus got down on his hands and knees and crawled inside the fort. He was surprised to discover that the four of them fit comfortably inside this small structure. "Did you help build this, Mother?"

Eileen gave her son a small and nodded. "It's their safe place, Sev. Just like you and I used to have."

Severus shook his head. "No, they don't need it like we did. They'll use a place like this to help their imaginations grow."

"You're right. They're much happier than you were," Eileen sadly agreed.

"Do you like it, Uncle Sev?" Draco asked eagerly.

Severus nodded. "I like it very much."

The four of them spent the next hour inside that small fort. They laughed and told stories. Finally, Severus told them it was time for supper and everyone crawled out. Eileen decided to stay and have supper with them, but she went back to her quarters after she finished claiming she was exhausted.

After he finished picking up, Severus walked into Draco's room to check on the boys. He stood in the door and watched Draco play. "Where's Harry, Draco? I thought he was playing with you."

Draco shook his head. "Don't know where he is."

Severus merely nodded and made his way to Harry's room. The light was off, so he knew Harry wasn't in there. Harry hated the dark, and his light was on even during the day. He walked back out into the living room and looked at the fort that took up most of the living. Severus sighed in understanding. He got down on his hands and knees and crawled into the fort. He found Harry inside with Bill and several other stuffed animals.

Harry looked over at him when he entered. "Hi, Sev'vus." He quietly greeted the man.

"Hello, Harry. Why are you in here instead of playing with Draco?" Severus asked as he grabbed the stuffed crocodile from the cluster of stuffed animals.

Harry shrugged. "Like it in here."

"You like this fort?" Severus asked curiously.

Harry nodded and hugged Bill. "Feel safe in here."

Severus furrowed his eyebrows. "Do you not feel safe anywhere else, Harry?"

The boy shrugged again, and Lily's eyes stared back at Severus. "It's the closest thing to my cupboard. I felt safe there. No hurt me when I was in the cupboard."

Severus sadly carded a hand through Harry's hair. "You know no one will hurt you here, Harry."

"I know, but I still like this better," Harry told him. "It's sometimes hard to sleep because it's so open. I don't like it."

"Why have you never told me this, Harry?" Severus quietly asked the small boy.

"Didn't wanna be a bother," Harry told him.

"You're never a bother, Harry," Severus told him. "Now, let's get out of here. I have an idea." Severus crawled out and stood. He waited for Harry to emerge before making his way to the boy's room. The two stopped in front of Harry's bed, and Harry looked up questioningly at the man. "I think I have a solution to your problem, Harry." With a wave of his wand, Harry's bed became a four poster bed with blue transparent curtains.

"What did you do, Sev'vus?" Harry asked in awe.

"I added curtains to your bed, Harry. Anytime you wish to feel safe or feel as if the room is too open, you can lie in your bed and close these curtains. I made them transparent so I…so you can find me if you ever need me. I want you to feel safe, Harry."

Severus felt small arms wrap around him. He looked down and saw Harry hugging him. "Thank you, Sev'vus. It's much better than my cupboard."

Severus placed a hand on Harry's head. "You're most welcome, Harry."

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**There you go. Remember, if anyone has any ideas, let me know. I've gotten a couple really good ones, but I always welcome more. I hope to update so, but reviews make updates happen faster! Thanks for reading!**


	6. Facing an Old or a New Danger

**Warning for this chapter: there is a small section that contains some violence. **

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**5. Facing an Old or a New Danger**

"Draco, do you have everything you need? You won't be able to come back here?" Severus asked the blonde boy as he moved about frantically in between Harry's and Draco's bedrooms trying to pack up their things. Draco was going to be spending the day with the Goyle family, and Harry was going to spend the day with Eileen while Severus attended a Potions Conference.

"I can't find my new ball. I wanted to bring it with to show them. You know, the green one with the snakes, Uncle Sev." Draco told him as Severus grabbed Draco's backpack and threw a spare set of clothes in it.

"Where did you put it last, Draco? Where were you and Harry playing with it?" He asked as he zipped the bag up and went to put it by the floo.

Draco shrugged. "I don't know. I can't remember. Will you please look for it, Uncle Sev?"

Severus sighed as he started to pack a couple of snacks for both Harry and Draco. "Draco, I don't have time for this. Harry!"

Harry quickly appeared from his bedroom. "Yes, Sev'vus?"

Without looking up from his task, Severus asked, "Have you seen Draco's ball? He seems to have misplaced it."

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment then said, "I think it's in the living room by the couch, but it may be in my room. I'll check."

Harry scampered off to his room while Draco checked by the couch. Severus let them look as he started putting things away in the kitchen. After that, he quickly started gathering his own things as Harry came out with the ball. "I find it, Sev'vus. It was in my room. I was a playing with it last night." Draco ran over and angrily saw the ball in Harry's arms. "Sorry, Draco. I forget to tell you I had it."

Draco angrily snatched the ball from Harry. "My ball, Harry! You shouldna taken it. It's mine and you can't play with it anymore."

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, enough of that." Severus scolded as he put the last of his papers in his briefcase. "Apologize to Harry and quit acting like a brat, or you shall be staying here instead."

Eileen entered just as Draco muttered an apology to Harry. Picking Harry up and perching him on her hip, she made her way over to Severus. "Problems this morning, Severus?"

"It's just been a little hectic this morning. Draco, are you ready? You and I shall be leaving in five minutes." Severus threw his black outer robes on. "Harry's backpack is in his bedroom. There is a change of clothes inside and some toys and books. There are a few snacks ready for him on the counter. I know you know all this, but I'm just going down the list." He added seeing the amused look on his mother's face.

"I think I have it under control. Actually, I wanted to ask your permission to take Harry away from the castle today."

"You don't need my permission, Mother. I trust you with him," Severus told her as he helped Draco put his outer robe on.

"Remember that festive back home that I used to take you to every year?" Eileen asked apprehensively.

Severus slowly rose and looked at her. "Yes. I remember. Do you wish to take him back there?"

Eileen nodded. "It's small enough where he won't panic, and I think he'll have some fun. I also wanted to buy some of the sweets they have. They're only there during the festival."

Severus crossed his arms and considered her proposal. After a moment, he spoke. "Is…will…will _he_ be there?" The he was referring to Severus's father.

Eileen shook her head. "I strongly doubt it. He has never gone to one before, surely you remember."

Severus nodded. He did remember. Going to the festival every year with his mother had been something he quite enjoyed because they had a great time, and Tobias never came with them. "You may take him, but at the first sign of trouble, I want you out of there. Is that clear?"

Eileen nodded, amused by Severus's overprotectiveness. "We'll be fine. Now go! You still have to drop Draco off."

"Right," Severus stepped forward and ran his fingers through Harry's hair and placed a kiss on top of his head. "Have a fun day, Harry. I shall see you tonight."

Harry smiled from where his head rested on Eileen's shoulder. "Bye, Sev'vus. Bye, Draco."

Draco waved good-bye to Harry then Severus grabbed him, and they disappeared through the floo.

As soon as they were gone, Eileen looked down at the small boy. "What do you say, Harry? Should we get ready to go?"

Harry nodded, and Eileen, with Harry still in her arms, walked into his bedroom to grab the backpack that Severus had left for him. "I bet we won't even need this, Harry. Severus worries too much."

"It has Bill inside. I didn't want to forget him," Harry told her seriously as they left Severus's quarters and made their way down the dungeon hallway.

Eileen smiled. "Well, I'm glad that Severus helped you remember Bill. Now, what was Draco upset about this morning?"

"He couldn't find his ball. I played with it last night, and I didn't tell him. I didn't think he'd mind, but he was really mad at me this morning," Harry told his grandmother sadly.

"Yes, but Draco can be a little crabby in the morning." Eileen explained as they walked out the castle doors. "I bet when you see him tomorrow when he gets back, he won't be angry at you anymore."

"I hope so. I don't like it when Draco's mad at me. Reminds me of Dudley." Harry told her.

Eileen frowned at the mention of Harry's cousin, but she chose not to say anything further on the subject. They were approaching Hogsmeade, and Eileen planned on apparating as soon as they crossed Hogwarts's boundary. She pulled out a stomach soother and held it out for Harry to drink. Harry recognized the potion; Severus had given him one after he had been sick a couple of weeks ago. But, he wasn't sick. Harry looked at Eileen curiously. "Gramma, I don't have an upset tummy. Why do I need to take that?"

"Because we are going to apparate and I don't want you to be sick all day," she kindly explained to him.

Harry nodded and gulped down the potion with a grimace. He shoved the empty vial back at her. "Yucky. Don't like potions."

Eileen chuckled. "Neither does Severus, even though he enjoys making them. I don't think your mother enjoyed them too much either. Severus told me once that she would avoid them whenever possible."

Harry perked up at the mention of his mother. "Mummy didn't like them either?"

Eileen shook her head. "I don't think so, but you can ask Severus about it tonight."

Harry smiled and nodded. He loved listening to Severus tell him stories about his mother.

While the little boy in her arms was thinking of his mother, Eileen walked them into an alley in between two stores. She decided not to tell Harry that they were apparating but just held on to him tighter as she spun on her heel.

They ended up in an alley just outside of Cokeworth. Harry had his face buried in her shoulder, clearly not liking what just happened. "I don't like that, Gramma," he mumbled as she rubbed his back.

"I know, sweetie, but it was the quickest and easiest way to get here. We'll just let your tummy calm down for a minute then head into town." She explained as she continued rubbing his back. After about five minutes, Harry seemed to be doing better, so Eileen set him down and held out her hand. Harry firmly grasped it. Eileen knew the little boy would be a little nervous around all of these people, but she hoped that he would open up soon. She didn't know if she would be able to carry him around all day.

They slowly made their way to the busy town, and Harry's eyes grew wide at the sight. There were booths and stands set up all over the place, and children running around happily with balloons and their faces painted. Eileen looked down and smiled at Harry's expression of awe. She didn't say anything, but she led him through the crowded streets. She stopped to chat with some of her old friends and neighbors, and she introduced Harry to all of them. They all thought he was adorable because he was so shy, and Harry just hid behind Eileen most of the time to avoid all of the attention.

When she noticed that Harry was staring at all of the children with painted faces, she took him over to the booth and allowed him to choose what he wanted. He picked out a yellow duck that the woman painted on his left cheek, and when he saw it, he happily told Eileen that it looked just like Bill. The two had a great time together. Eileen was able to buy everything she wanted and needed, and they even bought things for Draco and Severus. Eileen bought them both lunch, and they decided to eat it at a small picnic table under a shady tree.

"Gramma, where can I put my balloon? I don't wanna get it dirty," Harry asked as he plopped down on one of the benches.

"Here," Eileen said as she set their food down and untied the balloon from his wrist. She tied it to one of the table legs and was pleased to hear no protest from Harry. They were about halfway through lunch, when Eileen heard a voice that sent chills down her spine.

"Eileen! I was wondering where you had run off to," Tobias Snape exclaimed as he made his way over to where they were sitting. Eileen unconsciously pushed Harry away from her ex-husband, not that she needed to as Harry inched away from the strange man, and she glared at the man.

"Tobias, I wasn't expecting to see you here," she eyed the half-drunk bottle of gin in the man's hand.

He shrugged and took another swig from his bottle. "Lonely without you there. Needed some human company, and the gin's pretty cheap at these events." He eyed Harry and saw the boy move further away. "Who's the kid, Eileen? Bastard child that you hid from me using your freaky powers?"

She glared at his ridiculous accusation. "This is Harry, Severus's godson. Harry lives with Severus?"

"Ha! Severus is raising him?" Tobias barked. "That boy is such a failure and a screw-up, I bet he screws this one up too. What a joke. Severus doesn't even-"

"Stop it!" Harry shouted, and Eileen was surprised by the boy's courage. She knew that he would never stick up for himself, but he would defend those he loved. "Sev'vus is really nice to me, and he loves me and Draco!"

"Draco?" Tobias asked. "Severus is raising two kids? Ha! What a little—is that one his?"

Eileen shook her head. "The boy's his other godson."

"Well, that makes him even worse. He has to raise other people's children? Can't he find a woman? I can't imagine that anyone would even want to-"

"Tobias, enough!" Eileen shouted causing Harry to flinch and Tobias to stop mid-rant. "Severus has grown into quite the fine young man. He has a good job, and he does a great job raising both his godsons. I work with them every day, and they are both very intelligent children. And, most importantly, they love Severus very much."

"You went to live with him!?" Tobias shouted. "You went to-to-to live with those freaks!" His shouting was drawing attention, and Eileen wished he would just shut up. "You left me to go live with our filthy, freakish, failure of a son? How dare you."

Eileen figured the best way to end this conversation was to just get up and leave. She went to untie Harry's balloon, but Tobias stopped her. He grabbed the balloon in between his hands and squeezed. The balloon popped with a loud bang, and Harry looked like he would cry. To Eileen's surprise, instead of crying, Harry glared at the drunk man. He pointed at him and shouted, "That was my balloon, not yours! You had not right to pop it! Say you're sorry."

Eileen inwardly groaned. Harry didn't know any better, and he was only repeating what he had heard Severus say countless times, but one never talked to Tobias Snape like that and got away with it. Before Eileen could do anything, Tobias stomped forward and grabbed Harry roughly by the arms. He began shaking him and growled, "Who do you think you are, boy? You're just like Severus. He thought he could get away with anything, but I was always good at teaching him his place. Should I teach you yours, you worthless boy?"

When Harry didn't answer, Tobias slapped him across the face. Eileen tried to get him away from Harry, but Tobias backhanded her, and she fell to the ground. The angry man turned his attention back to Harry. Harry, used to his uncle doing the same thing, wasn't crying, but he did have tears in his eyes. Tobias leaned in close to Harry's face and whispered, "Are you frightened? Are you gonna cry, Severus? I thought I told you not to do that, Severus? How do we fix that, hm? Should I do use the belt, Severus?"

Harry whimpered. "I'm not Sev'vus. I Harry."

Tobias slapped him again, and Harry closed his eyes, fearful of when the next one would come. However, another one never came, as soon as Tobias raised his hand again, another hand stopped his. He turned to see the local police officer. "Mr. Snape, that's enough. You're coming with us." The young officer placed cuffs on Tobias's wrists while his older partner helped Eileen up off the ground. Eileen immediately ran over to Harry and pulled him into her arms. Harry held onto her for dear life, and Eileen let him. After sitting down and placing Harry on her lap, she turned to face the officer, "You finally have your proof of what has been happening all these years, Wilson."

The old officer nodded. "I'm sorry, Eileen, but I could never do anything before. Severus never said anything, and my hands were tied. We can finally arrest and charge him. I'm sorry that this had to happen, though." He admitted, looking at Harry.

Eileen tightened her arms around Harry. "I'm going to take him home now. I didn't think he would be here today. I just wanted to get Harry out of the house and around people. Severus will be quite upset when he hears about this."

The officer chuckled, even though he knew it was no laughing matter, but he knew Severus Snape's temper and his loyalty to his family. "Tell Severus that Tobias will be in holding until tomorrow afternoon. We'll be sending him to a different jail then." He added with a wink.

Eileen nodded. "Is there any way I can get Harry another balloon. That was his first one, and he's quite upset about it." A woman brought a green one over, and Harry quietly thanked her. Eileen thanked everyone that was there, grabbed her things, and headed towards one of the alleys. Once there, Eileen spun on her heel, and the two disapparated.

They arrived on the outskirts of Hogwarts and quickly made their way up to the school. They slowly made their way across the grounds and up to the castle. Eileen looked down and noticed that Harry was softly crying, and she felt absolutely horrible. She looked up and noticed someone was standing in front of the castle doors. To her surprise, it was Severus that greeted them.

"Severus, we weren't expecting you for another couple of hours," Eileen exclaimed as she approached him.

"I got done what I needed to, and I wished to return," Severus explained as he met them half-way. He stopped when he took in their appearance. He gently moved his mother's face side to side. "Who did this to you?" he asked when he noticed the angry red mark on her face.

Eileen shook him off and shifted Harry a little. "Don't get angry over me, get angry at me. Look at Harry."

Severus took in the boy's face and noticed first the tears and then the red slap mark. He turned his attention back to his mother. "He was there, wasn't he?"

"I honestly believed that he wouldn't show, Severus. He has never gone before, but he told me he was lonely. He started saying nasty things about you, and Harry stood up for you. Tobias popped his balloon, and Harry told him to apologize, but Tobias wouldn't. That was when he attacked us. He was arrested. Wilson arrested him. He wants you to know that Tobias will be held there until tomorrow, then moved. I'm sure—"

"He won't last that long," Severus growled as he took Harry into his own arms, doing his best to avoid the balloon that was still tied to Harry's wrist. "I'm going to kill him."

"No, Severus, you mustn't. It would do more harm than good," Eileen protested.

"I put up with—with that monster growing up, but my sons…they will never have to fear that monster. I want to go to sleep at night knowing that I never have to worry about him again. I'm going to kill him," Severus finished angrily.

"No, Sev'vus. Need you here. Love you. Don't leave me. You promised," Harry protested.

Severus looked down at the boy. "What? Harry, what are you talking about?"

"That man was scary today, but I'm safe now. I'm safe with you. Don't leave. Please," Harry pleaded with him, burying his face in Severus's shoulder.

Severus placed a hand on the back of Harry's head and tried to sooth him. "Harry, I will never leave you. I swore on the day I took you in that I would never leave you or Draco alone."

"Then stay with me. Leave the mean man alone and stay with me," Harry pleaded with him.

Severus nodded. "I'll stay with you, Harry. Come on, let's get you cleaned up. Maybe we can read or you can tell me about the rest of your day."

As they made their way into the castle, Severus knew that he had made the right decision. Tobias was in jail, and he would most likely spend several years there. Severus realized that Harry was right. He needed to stay with Harry and Draco. They were his family, and they were what mattered.


	7. Outside Bubbles

**I know it's been a little while, but I had a lot going on with graduation and what not. Here's another adorable chapter.**

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6. Outside Bubbles

The sound of a scratching quill was interrupted by the sound of small footsteps on the dungeon floor. Severus looked up from his marking and saw two boys looking up at him hopefully with large eyes. He set his quill down and asked, "And what can I do for you Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter."

Draco moved around Harry and somehow managed to climb into Severus's lap. "Uncle Severus, we has a question."

"I gathered as much. What do you want, Draco?"

Draco smiled up at him. "Can you take us outside to play? Me and Harry wanna play outside."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and why should I take you outside? Have you been good day?"

Draco nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah. Gramma says we were wonderful. We played nicely, did our work, and were great helpers."

"Did Gramma tell you to say that?" Severus asked sarcastically.

Draco ignored the sarcasm and nodded again. "She said that if we told you that, you would take us outside."

"And why didn't she take you two outside today?" Severus asked. "Surely there was ample opportunity."

"Well, we wanted to play with you," Harry spoke up quietly for the first time. "Please, Sev'vus." Harry pleaded with him.

Severus groaned when big green eyes looked up at him. He knew that he could never deny anyone with those emerald eyes. Severus lifted Draco up off of his lap and set him on his feet. "I suppose that I could spare an hour or two to play outside with the two of you."

Both boys clapped and jumped up and down. "Yay! We're gonna go out and play outside!"

Severus shook his head and hid a grin. Oh, to be young. Severus cleared his throat to get the boys' attention. "Go gather any toys you wish to bring out with you and then get your shoes on, please."

Both boys rushed into their rooms and came out with only, to Severus's surprise, a couple of toys each. They ran over to the door, set their toys down, and sat down to put their shoes on. Draco was the first to finish putting his shoes on as he velcroed the last strap and stood up. Harry appeared to be having greater difficulty with his tie shoes. When Severus had purchased the boys their shoes, Draco had insisted on the Velcro pair because they were cool and had snakes on them. Severus had tried to purchase Harry a pair of Velcro shoes as well, but Harry had refused. Harry had wanted the tie shoes because his cousin Dudley had owned a pair and now Harry also wanted a pair. Severus was more than willing to buy them for Harry, but the poor boy still didn't know how to tie them.

Severus watched amused as Harry tried for five minutes to tie his shoes, but the boy was failing miserably at it. Harry looked up at him with a pout on his face. "Sev'vus, could you please help me?"

Severus nodded and knelt down to help Harry tie his shoes. "One of these days, I'm going to teach you how to tie these."

"Gramma said she was gonna teach me soon." Harry told his godfather. "I know she's sick of tying them."

Severus sighed. "Harry, your grandmother and I don't mind tying your shoes for you. However, we want you to feel more independent. I promise that I will help you learn this weekend. Okay?"

Harry nodded. "Sev'vus, what does inda-indapentent mean?"

"Independent, Harry, means doing things on your own. It means you're able to do something without the help of anyone else." Severus explained as he finished tying Harry's shoes and grabbed all of their toys to carry for them. "Come on. Let's get you two outside."

They both cheered and were about to run out the door when Severus stopped them. "Freeze." Harry and Draco stopped dead in their tracks. "There will be no running through the halls like a couple of hooligans. We shall walk calmly until we are outside and then you may run and do whatever you please." Both boys looked rather crestfallen, but they happily chatted with Severus the entire way to the Entrance Hall. Draco spoke of the story he read with Eileen that was about dragons and trolls; he also told him everything else that happened during the day. Harry would pipe up once in a while, but it was Draco that led most of the conversation.

When they entered the Entrance Hall, Severus could tell that both boys were quite anxious to get outside. They were hopping up and down and pulling on his robe to get him to move more quickly. When they reached the large double doors, Severus stopped the two of them. "Now, you may run once you're outside, but you will not go any further than the field by Hagrid's hut. If either one of you disobeys this, we shall come inside immediately, and you will be punished. Are we clear?" Both boys nodded. "Very well. I shall meet you down there." Severus opened the doors, and Draco gave Harry a little a push with his hand.

"Tag, Harry, you're it!" Draco exclaimed as he bounded out the doors with Harry giggling right behind him. Severus shook his head and followed the boys at a more leisurely pace. When he reached the lake area by Hagrid's hut, he was pleased to see that the boys had followed his instructions and were still playing their game of tag; however, it appeared that Draco was currently it. When the boys spotted their godfather, they ran over to him. "Uncle Severus, can you play a game with you?"

"I will not play tag, if that is what you are asking," Severus stated.

Harry shook his head. "No. Can you play ball toss with us?"

Severus looked questioningly at Harry. "How do you play that?"

Harry grabbed two disc looking things that were lined with Velcro and a ball. "Here," Harry handed the ball to Severus. "Sev'vus, you throw the ball up in the air, and Draco and me try to catch it. It's fun!" Harry handed the other disc to Draco who slipped it on his hand.

"So, like this?" Severus asked as he tossed the ball high up in the air. He watched as his godsons ran in circles trying to catch the ball. Every time one of them caught it, they would give it back to Severus to throw up in the air again. After some time, Severus had them throw the ball back to work on that particular skill. It didn't go well for either of them, but Severus was just relieved not to see any tears.

They stopped playing the ball game after Harry and Draco ran into each other and both fell to the ground. There wasn't any crying, but Severus could tell that there might be. He had them come over and pick the next game to play. Draco wanted to play with his snake ball. The three of them kicked the ball back and forth for quite some time. Harry, who would never hurt anyone, accidently kicked it too hard when Severus wasn't looking and hit him in the stomach. It hadn't hurt, but it did catch Severus by surprise; judging by the look on Harry's face, it had also surprised him. Severus suggested they be done with the ball when he saw that Harry was rather distressed over accidently hitting his godfather.

Severus suggested that they play with the bubbles that Harry had brought out. Draco was about to grab a bottle when he saw Hagrid and Fang out and about. Draco loved playing with Fang, so he asked Severus if he could go over and play. Severus agreed, and he never took his eyes off of Draco until he saw that Draco was safe with Hagrid and playing with Fang. He then turned his attention back to Harry, who was happily blowing bubbles.

"Watch this, Sev'vus," Harry pulled the bubble wand out of the bubble juice and blew on it. Several bubbles appeared causing Harry to giggle. "Did you see all of the bubbles I made, Sev'vus?"

Severus nodded. "Yes, I saw them." Harry gave the man a huge smile and turned his attention back to his bubbles. When Severus saw that smile, it reminded him of another greened child with the same smile. Lily had always loved to be outside and to play games with Severus outside. Harry was so much like his mother in that sense. Thinking of Lily caused a memory to surface which made Severus smile. "Harry." Harry turned away from popping his bubbles. "I have something that I wish to show you. Please put the cap on your bubbles." Harry happily put the cap on his bubbles and bounced over to Severus.

"What is it, Sev'vus?" Harry asked with bright eyes.

Severus squatted so he was at Harry's level and gestured for the boy to come closer. Harry did, and Severus turned him, so Harry's back was facing Severus. "Your mother showed me this trick once. She was quite gifted with charms, and this one was one of her favorites. I believe she used to use it quite often when you were a baby, but I am uncertain of that fact." Severus pulled out his wand and muttered an incantation. Bubbles of all sorts of sizes and colors shot out from the end of his wand. Harry watched in awe as the bubbles floated around them. He reached one of his tiny hands out to try and pop one, but he found that it stuck to his finger. Harry gingerly moved his hand closer to his body and cradled the bubble with both hands. He giggled when it popped and there was a small shower of glitter that disappeared before it hit the ground.

"Mummy used to use this spell?" Harry asked in amazement as he grabbed a blue bubble.

Severus nodded as he himself grabbed a green one. "I believe she invented the spell, Harry. It's a rather fun spell to use." Severus pocketed his wand and watched with Harry as the bubbles moved all around them.

"Mummy made a very fun spell, Sev'vus. The bubbles are very pretty," Harry told the man as he leaned back against his chest.

Severus carded a hand through Harry's hair. "Yes, she was very bright, Harry. She was one of the smartest witches I know."

"Even smarter than Aunt Minnie?"

Severus softly chuckled. "She may have been. I say you ask your Aunt Minerva the next time you see her."

Harry nodded. "Sev'vus, did Mummy make any other spells?"

"Yes, she did. I shall show you them all eventually. I will even tell you some stories about her if you like."

Harry turned around to face his godfather, green eyes wide with excitement. "I would like that, Sev'vus. I would like that very much!"

"Good. Maybe I'll tell you one at bedtime tonight," Severus said with a smile.

Harry was about to say something when Draco appeared. "These are really neat bubbles! Did you make them, Uncle Sev?"

Harry answered for him. "Yeah! My mummy made this spell. They're magic bubbles, Draco. Watch."

Severus watched as the two boys played with the enchanted bubbles. He was glad that he had decided to bring the two boys outside.

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**Alrighty, there's the chapter. I know I have several suggestions by people, and the next couple of chapters will be dedicated to those, but I needed to get into the groove of this story again. Thanks for reading, and please leave a review or suggestion before you exit this story. :)**


	8. Sev'vus's Birfday

**7. Sev'vus's Birfday**

"Gramma! Gramma! Gramma! Is the cake done yet?" Draco yelled as he ran into Eileen's kitchen.

Eileen set two bowls of frosting and two small cakes down on the counter. "Yes, Draco. I have both cakes here. One for you and one for Harry."

Draco crawled up onto one of the stools. "Yay!"

Harry hid in the doorway and watched his grandmother and god brother in the kitchen. He didn't know what they were doing; he wanted to know, but he was too scared to go and look. Eileen, however, looked up and saw him. "Harry, come over here and sit next to Draco. I have a fun project we're going to do together."

Harry, with Bill tucked under his arm, padded over to the tall chair next to Draco and climbed up it. He looked at the two small cakes and frosting with interest, but he didn't say anything. "Harry, guess what?" Draco asked the quiet boy. "It's January 9th tomorrow. Wanna know what happens tomorrow?"

Harry nodded, and Eileen shook her head, with a smile on her face, as she went to grab spatulas and knives to frost the cakes. It seemed that Draco was more excited than the rest of them. "It's Uncle Sev's birthday tomorrow!"

Harry looked over at Eileen. "It's Sev'vus's birfday tomorrow?"

Eileen stuck a butter knife in each thing of chocolate frosting. "Yes, Harry, it is Severus's birthday tomorrow. I made these two cakes, and you two get to frost them. They're chocolate, Severus's favorite, and you both get to give him one tomorrow for his birthday." Eileen pushed the bowls towards the two boys. "Ok, can you two frost these like big boys?" Draco nodded enthusiastically, while Harry's nod was more distracted. "Alrighty, have at it. You can put sprinkles on them and decorate them once you're done frosting."

Draco grabbed the knife and started frosting his cake. Harry just kept looking at Eileen. "It's Sev'vus's birthday tomorrow?"

Eileen nodded and tried to hide her confusion at Harry's question. "Yes, Harry. Now, why don't you frost this cake."

Harry nodded and grabbed the knife. He slowly started frosting his cake. He was doing a very good job with it, too; it was almost like he had done this before. Eileen looked over at Draco's and laughed. Draco was doing a good job frosting his cake, but he was also getting quite a bit of frosting on himself. "Draco, how much of that frosting have you actually gotten on that cake?"

Draco looked at his cake, then himself, then at the cake again, and then up at Eileen. He shrugged and then continued frosting his cake. Eileen looked back over at Harry. His cake was coming along quite nicely, but he still looked deep in thought. "Didn't know it was Sev'vus's birthday." She heard Harry mutter. Eileen frowned and was about to say something when Draco interrupted her.

"Gramma, can I decorate it now? I'm all out of frosting." Eileen handed Draco all sorts of different toppings and let him decorate the cake. She turned her attention back to Harry.

Harry pushed his empty bowl towards her. "Can I decorate, too? I'm done frosting."

"Go ahead, Harry. Just share with Draco."

Draco moved the ingredients closer to Harry and looked up at Eileen. "Can we write Uncle Sev's name on the cake?"

Eileen went over and helped him spell Severus's name and then she moved over to help Harry do the same thing. Once the cakes were done, Eileen banished the mess and sent Draco to take a bath, and Harry to go and play in the other room. Once Draco's bath was finished, he joined Harry to play some sort of game. Eileen noticed that Harry was quiet for the rest of the day. This concerned her a little bit because she had no idea what would have caused this, and it also seemed to concern Severus when he picked the boys up.

"Uncle Sev!" Draco shouted and ran into his Uncle's arms. Severus picked the boy up and gave him a hug.

"Hello, Dragon. How was your day?"

"Great! I had lots of fun." Draco exclaimed as Severus placed him back on the ground.

"How was the first day back?" Eileen asked.

Severus groaned. "Albus can be an idiot sometimes. I don't understand why we have the students come back, have one day of class, and then have the weekend off. They're too wound up to pay attention, and it gives me a headache."

Eileen chuckled. "Well, at least you have tomorrow to spend however you would like. It is you birthday after all, Severus."

"Yeah, I know. I may just spend it with my two favorite boys. Speaking of which," Severus looked around the room. "Where's Harry?"

Eileen sighed. "Draco, could you please find Harry. I think he's in the kitchen."

Draco nodded and ran off to find Harry. Severus gave Eileen a questioning look. "What happened?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. We made you a birthday treat, and Harry's been quiet ever since. He seemed rather…I don't know if concerned is the right word. He seemed rather anxious that it was your birthday tomorrow."

"Ah, I see," Severus muttered, running a hand down his face. "No doubt he's working himself up over nothing. I love Harry to death, and I know it's not his fault, but he can be tiring sometimes. I fully blame the Dursleys; they did this to him."

"I know. Those monsters deserve to rot or something. Maybe Dumbledore will let you have them as a birthday present." They both laughed, and Draco emerged with a forlorn looking Harry following him. When Severus saw Harry, he bent down to his level and opened his arms. Harry slowly walked over into them and hugged Severus tightly. Severus picked him up and brushed the boy's fringe out of the way.

"How was your day, Harry?" He asked gently.

Harry shrugged. "Good."

Severus frowned at the one worded answer. "Did something happen, Harry?" Harry shook his head but didn't say anything. "Harry, are you sure? Gramma says that you've been awfully quiet today." Harry just shrugged again and demanded to be put down. Severus put him down and watched as the two boys ran off to grab their bags.

"I told you. I have absolutely no idea what has upset him," Eileen quietly exclaimed.

"I'll talk to him tonight before bed. Maybe he'll be more talkative when it's just him and me."

Severus watched Harry closely the rest of the night. Harry was quiet for the rest of the evening. He didn't talk much at dinner, and Draco tried to get him to play several games, but Harry only played a quiet game of gobstones with Draco.

Draco was the first one to go bed that night. Draco didn't fight Severus at all when he had to go first, a fact which Severus was thankful for. Severus was also surprised when Draco asked him, as he was being tucked in, to please fix Harry because he didn't like when Harry was this quiet. Severus agreed and made his way into Harry's room.

Harry was already under the covers and had Bill with him. Severus also noticed that the boy appeared to have a troubled expression. Severus sat down on Harry's bed and moved his fringe to the side. "Harry, is there anything that you wish to talk about."

Harry hugged Bill tighter. "Sev'vus…I…Sev'vus, I didn't know it was your birfday tomorrow."

"Oh, Harry," Severus said as he carded a hand through the boy's hair. "Is that what you're worried about?"

Harry nodded and green eyes looked up at him. "Don't know what to do for your birfday."

"Harry, you don't have to do anything special. I just want to spend time with you and Draco. We can play games, brew potions, or do whatever you two would like to do."

"Sev'vus, I don't know what to do for your birfday," Harry repeated.

"Harry, how about this," Severus stated having no idea what to actually say to calm the boy's nerves. "Harry, do you remember birthdays at your Aunt and Uncle's house?"

Harry shuddered but nodded. "They were very happy."

"Ok, so we're going to celebrate like they would. We'll celebrate my birthday as a family. How does that sound?"

Harry snuggled under the covers and made sure Bill was also under the covers. "Ok. Sev'vus, can you get Paw? I want another friend tonight."

Severus nodded and got up to grab Harry's stuffed dog, Paw. He handed it to Harry, and Harry tucked Paw in on the other side of him. "There. Now, are you ready for bed now?"

Harry nodded. "Make sure you leave light on."

Severus nodded as he turned the other lights on and turned the small nightlight on. "Goodnight, Harry."

"Night, Sev'vus."

Severus closed the door behind himself, leaving it open just a little bit. Severus was glad that he knew what was bothering Harry, and he hoped that he had fixed the problem with the small boy. Severus was a little concerned that Harry was worried so much about his birthday, though. Severus shook his head and decided to go to bed also. He knew that Harry understood now, and the three of them would have a great day. Severus was in for a surprise tomorrow.

Severus awoke to the sound of bacon cooking and the smell of scrambled eggs. He rolled over to grab his wand to cast a quick tempus charm. It was only seven in the morning; what were those house elves doing? Severus groaned and sat up. He slipped on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt and walked out. He planned on having a serious talk with the house elves about making breakfast this early. What he did not expect was to see Harry making it and not the house elves.

"Harry, what are you doing?"

Harry, who was monitoring a pan of scrambled eggs and a pan of bacon, whipped around with a look of horror on his face. "Sev'vus! You weren't suppose ta be up yet. Breakfast isn't ready yet. I'm sorry."

Severus walked over to Harry and took the spatula out of Harry's hand. "Harry, you're not in any trouble. You shouldn't be out here using the stove by yourself, but I'll ignore that for now. Why do you think that I would be unhappy if breakfast isn't ready yet?"

"Sev'vus, it's your birthday. I hafta make breakfast on your birfday," an exasperated and still slightly frightened Harry explained.

"Harry, what makes you think that you have to make me breakfast on my birthday?"

Harry looked down at his feet. "Sev'vus, you said to celebrate like I was with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. On Dudley's birfday, I hafta make breakfast. You said we celebrate like them."

Severus groaned and shook his head. He should have known better than to compare his birthday to one celebrated at Privet Drive. He should have known that Harry wouldn't have had any good memories at the place. In all reality, he knew that Harry wouldn't have had any good memories there, but he had hoped Harry could go by what he had seen. Apparently, that hadn't been a very good idea. Severus picked Harry up, moved over to one of the kitchen chairs, and sat Harry down on his lap. "Harry, did they have you make breakfast for them on their birthdays?"

Harry nodded. "Not just then, but all of the time."

"Hm, well, do you remember me telling you that life would be different here? That it wouldn't be the same as living with your aunt and uncle."

Harry nodded and leaned his head against Severus's chest. "That's what I did on their birfdays. I don't know how to celebrate yours, Sev'vus. You said—"

"I know what I said, Harry, and I was wrong," Severus interrupted. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Harry, I meant that we would celebrate my birthday as a family. I had assumed your aunt and uncle celebrated their birthdays as a family. I meant that we would get to spend the whole day together doing fun and special things. I never meant for you to work or do anything like that. Do you understand?"

Harry didn't speak for a few moments, but when he did, it surprised Severus. "Sev'vus, are you disappointed in me?"

"Harry," Severus looked at the boy rather confused. "Why would I be disappointed in you?"

Harry balled his fists up angrily. "Because I'm a freak and don't know how to celebrate your birfday."

"Oh, Harry," Severus cupped the side of Harry's head and held it to his chest. "You're not a freak. You are a very sweet and kind little boy. You didn't know, and you were trying to do something nice. I don't think you're a freak and I'm not disappointed or angry at you."

Harry turned his head into Severus's chest. "Love you, Sev'vus."

"And I love you, Harry. Now, I wish to show you something special. Is that ok?"

Harry looked up Severus. "What is it?"

"Go and sit over on the couch and I'll go and get it." Severus gave Harry a little nudge, and Harry hopped off his lap and ran over to the couch. Severus chuckled at his antics and walked into his bedroom. He retrieved a wooden box from under his bed and brought it out to the living room. He set it on the table, and Harry looked at in awe.

"What is it, Sev'vus?"

Severus sat down and opened the box. "This, Harry, is a box of memories of your mother and some of Draco's parents."

"Wow. Was some of these things my mummy's?" Harry asked.

"You bet. She gave me most of these things. Ah, here's what I was looking for," Severus pulled out a black teddy bear. "I met your mother when I was nine years old. We became the best of friends. She gave me this bear the first birthday we celebrated together. She knew I had never had a teddy of my own, so she got me one. I was a little old for a teddy at ten years old, and she knew that, but it was one of the best gifts I have ever gotten."

Harry looked at the black teddy. "Wow, that was nice of mummy. I see why it's your favorite, Sev'vus."

Severus was about to say something when the two were interrupted by a sleepy voice. "Happy Birthday, Uncle Sev." Severus looked over and saw a sleepy looking Draco, rubbing his eyes and holding his stuffed dragon under his arm, walking towards them. Severus held out his arms, picked Draco up, and set him on his lap.

"Good morning, Dragon. Why are you up so early?" Severus asked as he hugged Draco.

Draco yawned. "It's your birthday, and I heard voices. Couldn't sleep anymore."

"Ah, I see. Well, Harry and I were just going through some of the things in my memory box. I showed Harry what his mother got me for my birthday a long time ago."

To support his statement, Harry held up the teddy. "Look, Draco. My mummy got Sev'vus a teddy."

"That's neat!" Draco exclaimed excitedly, and he, too, looked at the box. "Uncle Sev, is there anything from my mommy and daddy in there?"

Severus placed a kiss on top of Draco's head and reached for something. "Yes, there is. In fact," he pulled out a thin silver chain. Attached to the chain was a small silver pendant with the words _Sed in omnes fratres, sanguinis _underneath a green snake. "Your father gave this to me on my fifteenth birthday. I wore it up until my seventeenth birthday when he gave me a pocket watch."

Draco looked at it in awe. "Daddy had one just like it."

"I bet he did. Now, do you see this, Draco?" Severus pulled out a worn looking black, green, and silver friendship bracelet. "Your mother gave this to me on my eleventh birthday. It's a friendship bracelet. We became friends when we both entered Hogwarts. I've kept it ever since."

Draco gently took the bracelet from Severus, almost as if he would break it. "Mommy made this for you?"

"You bet she did. She used to make them all the time. I may have a couple more hidden somewhere; she made me a lot of them."

The three of them sat in silence for several minutes looking at the old treasures Severus had shown them. Severus had begun putting things away when Eileen, with two small parcels, walked in. "Look what I brought over, boys."

Both boys scrambled off of the couch and over to their grandmother. She handed each one the correct package, and, in turn, the boys gave them to Severus. "What is this?"

"We made them for you, Uncle Sev," Draco exclaimed.

"Yeah," Harry agreed.

"Well, what do we have here?" Severus opened one up and saw a cake with his name on it covered in sprinkles. "Who made this one?"

"Me." Draco raised his hand in the air, and Severus peppered his godson's face with kisses causing him to squeal with laughter.

"Thank you, Draco. Now, I bet this other one's from Gramma."

"No, Sev'vus, it's from me," Harry proclaimed.

"Who's it from? I don't think I got that."

"I made it, Sev'vus. Me, Harry."

"Ah," Severus opened it up and saw another decorated cake with Oreos and his name on it. "Well, this one looks just as fantastic." Severus also peppered Harry's face with kisses causing Harry to laugh like Draco had. Suddenly, Severus felt little hands trying to tickle his side. He stopped tormenting Harry and directed his attention to Draco. "Did you just tickle me on my birthday, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco tried to look innocent, but it didn't work. "I didn't do nothing."

"I think you're lying, Mr. Malfoy, and do you know what happens to liars on Uncle Severus's birthday?"

Draco shook his head.

"They get tickled." Severus began tickling Draco, who started laughing uncontrollably. Harry tried to come to Draco's aid by tickling Severus, but Severus just began tickling them both. Soon, both Harry and Draco had bright red faces from all their laughter, and Eileen finally took pity on them.

"Severus, enough. I think they learned their lesson."

Severus stopped and watched both breathe heavily as they calmed down. "Well, good. Now, boys, why don't you take these cakes into the kitchen and then we'll have breakfast. I'm sure the house elves either finished yours, Harry, or they made a new one. Gramma and I will be there in just a moment."

Both boys happily grabbed their respective cakes and ran into the kitchen. Eileen looked at Severus. "Did you figure out what was troubling him?"

Severus sighed and leaned backwards. "Long story short, it involved my birthday, the Dursleys, and Harry believing that he was a freak. I think we got it all figured out, though."

"Hm, well that's good news I suppose. I'm glad you have it figured out. Now, let's go and enjoy some breakfast, Birthday Boy."

Severus glared at her as he rose from the couch. "Don't call me that."

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**One of the longest chapters for this story yet! Please Review and thanks for reading!**

**A/N: Sed in omnes fratres, sanguinis means Brothers in all but blood**


	9. Problems Created With Crayons

**Look at me go, two chapters in two days. That's a pretty big accomplishment...it's another long one, too. Enjoy!**

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**8. Problems Created With Crayons**

Severus knew trouble. He was a professor at a boarding school for rule-breaking teenagers, a spy/double-agent, and he was raising two small boys. However, he apparently didn't know trouble until he watched the floo flare to life that Sunday afternoon. It had all started yesterday with a fight between Harry and Draco.

_"Harry, I wanna play with it! It's my turn!"_

_Severus groaned and tried to soothe his impending headache. The boys were about to have another fight over a toy; this was the third time this week. Actually, it was always Draco that started these fights. He always wanted to play with what Harry had and usually Harry let him. However, there were five toys that Harry liked to be the only one to play with: his stuffed duck, Bill, his stuffed dog, Paw, his toy broom, his red train, and the scented crayons Severus had bought him on an outing in Diagon Alley. Even though Draco had plenty of other toys to play with, for some reason, he always wanted Harry's. Severus rose from his chair and made his way to the living room to break up the fight._

_"Harry, I wanna draw with the crayons! You hafta share." Draco whined._

_Harry shook his head. "Draco, I said you could play with my magic pencils. I wanna draw with my crayons."_

_"Well, it's my turn. I wanna draw with the crayons!" Draco threw one of Harry's pencils down and crossed his arms with a pout on his face._

_"Draco, these are my special crayons. I don't want anyone else to use them. They mine." Severus, even though he valued sharing, was quite proud of Harry. The green eyed boy needed some things that were his and only his. Harry respected Draco when the Malfoy heir told him to leave a toy alone, but Draco wouldn't do the same for Harry._

_Severus watched, unnoticed in the doorway, as Harry finished his picture and hopped down from his chair. "I drawed Sev'vus a picture. I'm gonna go give it to him. Don't touch my crayons." Severus moved away from the doorway a little, so he wasn't seen. He watched as Draco got down from his chair and went over to take Harry's crayons. Harry heard Draco get down from his chair, and he spun around to face his blonde god brother. "Draco, don't take my crayons! I said you couldn't play with them."_

_Draco gave Harry a smug smile and took the package of crayons. "Well, too bad. Finders, keepers, losers, weepers. I'm gonna play with them now."_

_Harry stomped over and swiped the crayons from Draco's hands. "No, Draco. You're being mean."_

_Before Severus could stop him, Draco pushed Harry. Harry fell to the ground with a thud, falling on his back and hitting his head on the ground. "Draco Lucius Malfoy." Severus said sternly as he walked into the room. "We do not push people. We use our words." Severus knelt down to where Harry was sitting and helped him sit up. Harry, who had tears rolling down his cheeks, looked at Severus, then at Draco, and then quickly got up and fled from the room, leaving his picture and box of crayons behind. Severus sighed and looked sternly at Draco. "Draco, that was not a very nice thing to do. You really hurt Harry's feelings. I think you just earned yourself some corner time for that."_

_Draco crossed his arms and stomped his foot. "No! I don't wanna stand in the corner! I wanna play with the crayons."_

_Severus shook his head. "Draco, those are Harry's crayons. He was nice enough to let you use his pencils even though you have your own things to color with. Now, I believe you earned yourself five minutes of corner time."_

_Draco still looked at him defiantly, refusing to move. "No. I'm not standing in the corner."_

_"You just earned yourself another minute, Draco. I suggest you go stand in that corner right now like the big boy I know you are, or no dessert tonight. Corner, now." Draco looked as if he was going to refuse again, but he just stomped over to the corner. Severus grabbed the little sand timer and turned it. "Six minutes, Draco."_

_Severus watched to make sure Draco kept his nose firmly planted in the corner before leaving the room to find Harry. He found Harry in the living room, surprisingly, in the arms of Minerva McGonagall. Minerva was rubbing comforting circles on his back as Harry cried. Severus walked over and placed a hand on Harry's back causing the boy to flinch; an action which made Severus frown. "How are you doing, Harry?" he asked in a quiet, gentle voice._

_Harry turned his face into Minerva's neck not looking at Severus. Minerva spoke instead. "The lad seems rather spooked. I was just coming to give you some papers when the poor boy ran into me. He seems to have been through quite the traumatizing event today."_

_Severus sighed and nodded. "Draco tried to take his crayons, but Harry said no."_

_"They is my special crayons." Harry mumbled. Minerva nodded._

_"So Draco tried to take them?" she asked._

_Harry nodded and turned his head, so he was facing the adults rather than hiding. "He always wants ta use them, but they are my special ones. Sev'vus gave them to me. I let him use my pencils, but he wanted to use my crayons. I drawed a picture for Sev'vus, and I was gonna give it to him, but Draco tried to steal my special crayons. I tell him no, and he pushed me. Head owie now." Harry rubbed the back of his head with one hand and wiped the tears and snot away with the other. Severus shook his head and got out his handkerchief and used it to wipe Harry's face. Minerva moved Harry's hand out of the way and began rubbing it._

_"Where is Draco now, Severus?"_

_"In the corner. He has about a minute left and then he is going to apologize to Harry. It was a very mean thing to do." Severus put the cloth away and made his way into the kitchen where Draco was. He could hear Draco sniffling in the corner. Pulling a chair out from the table and turning it so he was facing Draco, Severus cleared his throat. "Draco, your time is up. Come here please."_

_Draco, who also had tears running down his face, slowly walked over to Severus and stood in front of him. Once there, Severus gently grabbed Draco's arms. "Draco, what you did to Harry was very mean. You know he doesn't want you to play with his crayons."_

_Draco nodded sadly. "They look like fun, Uncle Sev. I just wa—wanna try 'em."_

_"I understand, but those are Harry's special crayons. If you would like some of your own, you only needed to ask, and I would have got some for you. However, you decided instead to try and take Harry's, and when he wouldn't give his to you, you pushed him. Harry is out in the other room, and he is very sad right now. Is it nice to make other people feel sad?"_

_Draco shook his head and had more tears running down his cheeks. "It's not nice to push people. I sorry, Uncle Sev."_

_Severus nodded. "I know you are, Dragon, but now you need to go and apologize to Harry. You hurt him, and now you should tell him you're sorry."_

_Draco wiped a hand across his face. "Can I have a hug now?"_

_Severus lifted Draco onto his lap. "Always, Draco."_

_The two sat and cuddled for several moments until Draco was calmed down. Once Severus had wiped his face off, they decided to go and find Harry, so Draco could apologize. Harry, who had calmed down since Severus had left the room, was now sitting on McGonagall's lap with Bill telling her about all the adventures Harry, Bill, and Paw had experienced the previous day. Severus gave Draco a small nudge in Harry's direction. When Harry saw Draco, he went quiet and hugged Bill._

_"Harry, I'm sorry that I pusheded you and tried to steal your special crayons. I was being a meanie. I'm sorry."_

_Harry looked at Draco, and then Minerva, who gave him a small nod of encouragement. Harry slid off of Minerva's lap and the couch and hugged Draco. "It's ok, Draco. Just don't try and take my special crayons again."_

_Draco nodded enthusiastically. "I promise. Let's go play with the blocks now."_

_"Ok." The two boys ran off into the other room, and Severus took a seat next to Minerva._

_"Some days, Minerva. I tell you."_

_Minerva just laughed._

Severus, who had been putting a puzzle together with Harry on the floor, quickly rose to his feet when the floo flared to life. He wasn't supposed to pick Draco up from the Zabini's for another hour, and he was the one that always came to retrieve him. He didn't want any of these former death eater families finding out about Harry yet. Granted, most of the wizarding community knew that Severus was raising two boys, not many knew it was Harry Potter. Severus felt his blood run cold as he watched Madame Zabini step out of the floo with Draco.

"Hi, Uncle Sev. I'm home," Draco ran over to the man and hugged him. Severus just patted his head, never taking his eyes off of Maura Zabini.

"I see that, Draco. Why don't the two of you and play in your room while I talk with Mrs. Zabini." Severus said trying to avoid using Harry's name.

"Okay." Draco said brightly without a care in the world. "Come on, Harry."

Severus inwardly groaned. Well, that plan was shot. He waited until the boys were in Draco's room before he put up a privacy ward. He ordered his house elf to bring them some tea before he sat straight-backed in his armchair. He motioned at the seat across from his. "By all means, have a seat, Madame Zabini. You clearly wish to discuss something with me."

She took her seat just as the tray of tea appeared. Severus prepared them both cups and handed one to her. She accepted it with a nod. "Severus, how many times have I told you to use my first name? Our boys are friends after all."

"Are they still? I must say, I am curious to hear what you have come to say to me." Severus said never taking his eyes off of her.

Maura sighed as she set her cup down. "When were you going to tell us, Severus?"

"Tell you what? There are several things I have not shared with you."

She chuckled. "Ah, you still play these word games, Severus? Well, you and I both know what I am talking about. How long has Harry Potter been living with you?"

Ignoring the question, he asked, "Who told you? How did you find out?"

She motioned towards Draco's room. "Draco told me. The boys were coloring today in the kitchen when I happened to walk by and catch part of their conversation. Draco was telling Blaise about a fight he had yesterday with a Harry over some crayons. I asked him what he was talking about, and he told me he got into a fight with his god brother over a package of scented crayons. He told me the boy's name was Harry, and that he has been staying with the two of you for several months. Why is it, Severus, that I am just hearing about this now when he has clearly been with you for several months?"

Severus cleared his throat. "Isn't it obvious?" he drawled. "I'm protecting him."

"From what, Severus? People like me? People like the Goyles, Crabbes, and Parkinsons? What are you protecting Harry Potter from Severus, if you are loyal to the Dark Lord?"

"I am protecting him. It is as simple as that. It is not that I do not trust any of you; I allow Draco to visit your homes and play with your children. Lucius and Narcissa seemed to trust you, and I trust their judgment. However, if you or anyone else threatens to hurt either one of my boys—"

Maura cut him off with a laugh. "Your boys? Oh, Severus you have changed. Not only that, but you have failed to answer a single one of my questions. Now, how long has Harry Potter been staying with you?"

"Several months now," Severus answered honestly.

"Why haven't any of us heard of him before now? I had heard rumors that you had another little boy that you were looking after, but I had assumed it was a son that no one knew about or something of that nature. I never dreamed it was Harry Potter. Why has Draco never mentioned him before?"

"Draco was given instructions not to tell anyone of Harry. He could mention that there was another boy here but not who he was. I told Draco it was to prevent making Harry upset. I told Draco that Harry was still getting used to us, and I didn't want to frighten him with new people. As the months passed, I told Draco not to tell because Harry had his own friends, and it was hard enough for him to get along with the friends he had; I didn't want him to deal with a lot of new friends. Then I told Draco that they could have separate friends, and he wouldn't want to upset his friends by mentioning Harry a lot. It has worked for quite some time now but not anymore."

Maura laughed again. "You manipulated your own godson? Oh my, what would Lucius and Narcissa say?"

Severus glared at her. "They would understand the situation that I'm in. They would understand that I'm doing my best for their son. They would understand that I am doing the best that I can."

She waved him off. "We all know you have feelings for Harry's mudblood mother and that is why Harry is in your care.I have no doubt that Narcissa and Lucius would think that you're doing your best. Now we must focus on the situation at hand."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "What do you suggest?"

"None of us are foolish enough to harm the Boy Who Lived right now." Maura leaned forward. "All of us wish to stay out of Azkaban. You shall not have to worry about my family or the Parkinsons; we wish to remain neutral if another war occurs. However, I would watch out for the Goyles and Crabbes; the ladies will not do anything, but the lords will. Make sure you tell Draco to watch what he says around those families. You are lucky it was me he let it to rather than one of them."

Severus shook his head. "I still do not understand. Why are you here? What are you trying to tell me?"

"It's a political move, Severus." Maura leaned back and smiled. "Your boy, Harry Potter, will help keep my family out of jail if the Dark Lord comes back. I'm trying to play my cards early. Besides, you know how much I like to gossip; I just wanted to know if it was true or not."

Severus knew growled; he knew she was playing him, but he couldn't figure what game she was playing. "What do you really want?"

"To hold this information over you. I have finally outsmarted the great Severus Snape. Never fear, Severus, I shall keep your secret safe for now. There is a war coming, and we both will need all the help we can get." She laughed again. "I wish to see him."

"No. I will not allow it." Severus sharply stated. "I am grateful that you will keep our secret, but I am still going to protect him."

"I won't hurt him, Severus. You will be here the whole time," She smirked as she took a sip of your tea. "Please, Severus."

Severus, even though his entire being was telling him not to, cancelled the privacy ward. "Harry, would you come here?"

They heard movement in the other room, and Harry soon appeared. "Sev'vus?" Harry asked him questioningly.

Severus gestured towards Maura. "Harry, this Madame Zabini. She is the mother of one of Draco's friends."

"Pleasure to meet you, Ma'am." Harry said politely and held out his hand.

Maura gently laughed and shook the offered hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Harry. You have very good manners, young man."

Harry's face lit up. "Sev'vus teached me. He says that I should always make a good in-inperson."

"Impression, Harry," Severus corrected quietly.

"Yeah, that."

Maura laughed at the boy's antics and, with one of her red polished finger nails, moved Harry's fringe to the side and gazed at the famous scar. She frowned a little. "I really don't wish any of you harm, Severus. I could never hurt Draco; he reminds me too much of his parents. They were really good friends, especially Narcissa. I would never hurt Harry either." She looked up at Severus's face. "I know that there'll be another war, Severus. I need to protect my son, too."

Onyx eyes stared at her in understanding. "I understand, and I shall be there when the time comes. I refuse to serve that monster again."

Harry looked up at Severus. "What monster, Sev'vus? Is he scary?"

Severus nodded. "One of the scariest and meanest, Harry." He placed a kiss on top of Harry's head. "Go and play with Draco, Harry."

"Kay. Nice to meet you," Harry said to Madame Zabini as he slid off of Severus's lap and skipped off to Draco's room.

"I wouldn't mind having him over to the manor sometime or allowing Blaise to come here. I think the three boys would make good friends."

"Maura, I will protect them at all costs." Severus told her seriously. "If you cause us any harm, I will not be afraid to fight back."

"I won't hurt your family, Severus. We're allies now, after all."

Severus held out his hand. "Maybe we could be friends. Narcissa and Lucius would want this, and I bet Lily would be fine with it, knowing that you shall keep her son safe, and I shall keep yours safe as well."

Maura, who was teary-eyed, took his hand. "Thank you, Severus."

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**Yay, now Harry has another friend! I shall be introducing the Weasleys soon. I don't plan on corrupting poor Harry; I just think he needs more friends. :) Thanks for reading and please leave a review before you go!**


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